


Love and Life without the Ice

by MaidofShade



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Coach Katsuki Yuuri, Coach Phichit Chulanont, Coach Yuri Plisetsky, Drunk Victor Nikiforov, Drunk confessions, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky Friendship, Katsuki Yuuri is So Done, Katsuki Yuuri is a Psych major, Long-Haired Victor Nikiforov, M/M, Matchmaker Phichit Chulanont, Orphan Victor Nikiforov, Phichit Chulanont Is a Good Friend, Student Victor Nikiforov, Victor Nikiforov is Extra, Victor Nikiforov is a Brat, Victor Nikiforov is a Katsuki Yuuri Fan, Victor's got some trauma, i love them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27814129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaidofShade/pseuds/MaidofShade
Summary: The final sign that Victor Nikiforov needed to stop skating is when his idol, Yuuri Katsuki announced his retirement. After falling into despair at the fact that they won't be able to skate together, Yuri Plisetsky decides to make a big decision which may or may not work out.***This is a role swap AU in which Victor Nikiforov is an ice skater down on his luck and Yuuri Katsuki is an ice skater who thinks he is content with walking away from the ice.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 20
Kudos: 51





	1. I think I pissed off Yurio enough that he is selling me to the Yakuza?!

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was first written down in the notes section of my phone when I realized that the idea wasn't half bad. I adore this idea so much and it's probably been done so much but here I am throwing my hat into the role swap AU.

*****Five Time Gold Medalist Grand Prix Champion Yuuri Katsuki announces his retirement.*****

  
Victor stared at the headline that crossed his phone. The words must have been a joke. There was no way that Yuuri Katsuki, the Yuuri Katsuki, was retiring. Maybe the Japanese skater was trying to shock the masses. Yet, that wasn’t something he would do. Gimmicks like this weren’t traditional of the quiet and reserved skater.

  
That only left one other option

  
He would have dropped the small device had he not had a death grip on it. His hands shook, not from panic but rather anger. How dare this man at the height of his career retire? Who did he think he was?

  
Well, he was Japan's Ace. Olympic gold medalist. Ice skating heartthrob who had countless admirers (including a certain silver haired Russian). Five time champion of the Grand Prix. All around ice skating legend. A gentle and caring person. The man was a ray of sunshine in the otherwise cutthroat sport.

  
So, in short, he was a celebrity who could do what he wanted. Well, he was approaching that tender age where it would start to become dangerous if he kept skating. The man was only 28 years old. It’s not like he was a senior citizen yet. The man was barely four years older than he was. He still had some energy left in him.

  
Victor frowned as he read the article, his hair was starting to come loose from the ponytail but that could wait. He skated in small circles as he read the article. Most of his rink mates were on the other side practicing their own routines. Victor needed to be alone to mourn the retirement of the literal love of his life.

  
"Hey get off your phone, you brat." His coach, Yuri Plisetsky stood in front of him with his arms crossed and signature scowl on his face. The man was silent, silent enough that Victor hadn’t heard him approach the rink wall he was skating near.

  
"But Yurioooooo, Yuuri is retiring." Victor whined as he bottom lip trembled, pointing his phone at the older man. 

  
"Stop calling me that. I'm the original Yuri, not that pig." His coach jabbed a thumb at himself before taking his student's phone and skimming through the article with a bored expression. His eyebrow raised as he read. The article was in English but they were both fluent in the language. "Good, he needs to retire."

  
"How could you say that? The man is a legend!" Victor was offended and a little hurt that his coach was tearing into his idol, not to mention his crush. When Yuri was still competing he and his Japanese counterpart had a healthy rivalry that blossomed into a deep friendship. Victor constantly walked past his coach’s office to see him chatting up Yuuri.

  
Victor was very jealous of this.

  
"Which means it's the perfect time to retire." He huffed, thrusting the phone back to Victor’s hands. The phone fumbled in the air but did not fall to the ice.  
"You didn't retire until you were in your thirties." He scrunched his nose and he clutched the phone to his chest.

  
"Watch it, brat. I only retired a few years ago." Yuri scowled but otherwise kept his composure. He looked off to where their medals and trophies sat. There was an unfamiliar glint in Yuri’s eyes that Victor did not recognize. "Sometimes it's good to quit when you're ahead."

  
Victor toed at the ice, eyes fixed on a single spot. He was the only one of Yuri’s students who hadn’t won a gold medal yet and it was starting to hit him pretty hard. "Do you think I can be a five time gold medal champion like him?"

  
"You're 24, you have time. But you need to be able to land more than a quad toe loop without hurting yourself." Yuri raised an eyebrow.

  
"That hurts my soul."

  
"It's true though. I don't want to see you being reckless. You need to take some time to slow down and reflect."

  
"Oh come on, you were a punk when you were younger. You barely listened to Yakov." Victor pouted, arms crossed over his chest. Yakov told him countless stories about Yuri’s teenage years and how he was the reason that the man had begun to bald so early in life.

  
"Yeah, but I also owned up to my mistakes. I did a lot of things I regret…” Yuri winced at the memories before sighing and running a hand through his hair. “You can't keep taking risks and pulling random stunts and expect everything to come out roses, brat."

  
"If I'm not dramatic and dazzling then no one will look at me." Victor said quietly, finger playing with a loose strand. Yuri knew what he meant and he still struggled to make his student see past that. He didn’t know how to approach Victor’s demons and his methods as of late had not worked.

  
"Shouldn't you be working on your programs?"

  
"Probably but it doesn’t matter. I should just stop before I screw up more… Maybe I’ll do everyone a favor by retiring too..." His smile was sad and longing but it didn’t stay long on his face before he broke out into a grin. It didn’t take long for Victor’s moods to shift. Yuri was getting concerned by how quickly they shifted but he left the matter alone for the moment.

  
"Good otherwise you need a new coach. I won't take your crap if you keep pulling stuff like this." Yuri walked away to go and yell at Georgi who seemed to be furiously texting on his phone. Victor drifted off to his own patch and began to dance quietly, expression sullen and downcast before it changed to a grin. There was a specific way that Victor skated when he was upset. Although his moments of gloom were brief, his movements jovial and bright, there was a sadness that tinged the edges of his eyes that he couldn’t hide. It was there if you looked hard enough but Victor knew people didn’t spend the time to really look at him.

  
Yuri pulled out his phone and dialed a certain number. The time difference was off by several hours but he knew that they would be awake. The man was a night owl and he could count on him being awake when he needed him to be.

  
"Hey, I need you to honor your promise." Yuri said, stuffing a hand into his pocket, eyes tracking Victor’s movements. 

  
"Hello to you too. What promise?" The other line asked, not an ounce of sleepiness in their voice despite the late hour.

  
"Victor needs a coach and I know you'll be a better fit for him."

  
"I don’t think that’s a good idea… I’m not ‘coach’ material..."

  
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You got the stuff for it.” Yuri shrugged before sitting on a bench and continuing to watch Victor.

  
“I’m still not really sure...” The voice trailed off as he often did when he was nervous.

  
“He wants to stop skating.” The words hung in the air, Yuri had to check that the phone call hadn’t disconnected because of how quiet his friend had gone.

  
“It wasn’t because of-”

  
“No. I think that was just the breaking point.”

  
There was a long sigh and then an intake of breath. “How do you even know that he’ll do better with me?”

  
Yuri scrunched his face in thought as his eyes tracked Victor’s movements, there was a familiarity in the way he carried himself. There was something missing and he couldn’t place it. It reminded him of a certain other skater. “I just do.”

  
“Alright… Do you expect me to go there and pick him up.” The voice chuckled.

  
“Nah. I’ll ship him to you like I said I would.” A smirk laid itself on his face.

  
“... Has he ever been to the country?”

  
“Nope. He’ll be fine. There are enough things in English for him to understand.”

  
“Well… It’s not like I don’t have the time.”

  
"Thanks. Now go to sleep you loser. It’s way past your bedtime."

  
“You’re the old man here, not me.”

  
“Oh shut up. I can feel your smugness from here.”

  
"Still salty that I won that medal during your last year?" The voice laughed for a moment.

  
"Not on your life…" Yuri rolled his neck as he watched Victor attempt a quad and then fall onto the ice. The boy seemed frazzled by it but quickly stood up and regained his composure. "You don't know how much this will mean to the brat."

  
"I think I already do."

.

.

.

Victor went home that night to his apartment, everything was dark lonely. He had lived by himself ever since he had turned 18. It was equal parts refreshing and scary but he learned to adapt. Turning on the lights and dumping his things at the door, he set about microwaving a meal for himself. As he settled onto the couch, the jingling of tags and the sounds of paws grew closer. Makkachin sprung onto the couch and began to lick his owner's face.

"Makka, you stink." Victor laughed, pushing the canine away to no avail.

  
The dog did not listen and continued to show his affection to his human. He was only a year old but definitely a large dog who still believed himself to be a lap dog.

  
"Silly puppy." He scratched his loving pet and went to retrieve his meal. The only sounds were his footsteps and the pants of Makkachin. As he sat in the living room, he realized how cold and lifeless it was with just the two of them. Not wanting to sit in silence, he turned on the news and sighed when of course, Yuuri Katsuki was the headline.

  
The picture that they displayed of the Japanese skater was of his most recent Grand Prix win. Yuuri’s hair was slicked back as usual, he had forgone his long tresses a couple years into his senior skating career. He was the reason that Victor had long hair and refused to cut it. He wanted to be so much like his idol.

  
“He’s so beautiful and wonderful and I can’t believe he’s leaving us.” Victor pouted. He stared at the video of Yuuri skating to one of his beloved routines. The man had such a grace and confidence to him that it took Victor’s breath away the first time he had seen him was 12 years ago. The man had stolen Victor’s heart and now Victor may never be able to tell him that.

  
"Do you think I'll be able to compete with him again? I want to be able to skate with him one last time. The last Grand Prix was a disaster. I ended up in last place and completely embarrassed. Yurio was so upset when I didn't qualify for Worlds or Europeans. I’m such a terrible skater. An embarrassment to the sport." He sulked, leaning into his companion.

  
"I wish I could be as great as him."

.

.

.

As he was about to doze, there was a rough knocking on his door. Victor gazed at the clock and saw that it was about four in the morning. The TV had long since turned off as had the overhead lights. Victor’s dinner lay forgotten on the coffee table, his pet’s head resting in his lap. He had fallen asleep on his couch dreaming about skating with a certain black haired beauty.

  
_Ugh, who is trying to break my door down?_

  
Victor padded to the door and opened it slowly. Once it was open a crack, his visitor thrust it open.

  
"Y-yurio? What are you doing here?" Victor frowned, brain still waking up to the sight of his coach barreling into his apartment.

  
"Pack your bags. I'm taking you to the airport." His coach pushed past him and began to collect his items before going to his bedroom to hunt down the man’s suitcase.

  
"What? Why? What's going on?"

  
"Surprise." Yurio smirked and began to pack for his student. He couldn’t remember how temperate the area was but he knew Victor was accustomed to harsh Russian winters, meaning that he would be prepared for anything. "Round up everything you need for a while. I can send everything else you need."

  
"Are you selling me off?" Victor was still processing the event. “Did you get in trouble with the Mafia? Are you selling my organs off? I wish you would have asked me first.”

  
"No. Look, just pack and get Makkachin ready." He waved the silver haired man off.

  
Victor shrugged and began to grab everything he would need for the month just in case. He still wasn’t sure what was going on but he doubted it was anything too bad if his coach was encouraging it.

  
After an hour everything was packed and ready. Makkachin stood next to his human, an excited wiggle radiating through his body. The puppy had no more idea than his human as to what was happening but he was excited nonetheless. Yurio grabbed the suitcase and led them out of the apartment to his car.

  
"Where am I going?" Victor asked, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. Yurio had been prepared and placed a large cup of coffee in his student’s hand. He worked with the young man enough to know that he was not in any way a morning person.

  
"You'll see."

.

.

.

_You could have told me I was going to Japan, jerk._

  
The flight was long and grueling. He abhorred flying Economy but Yurio wasn’t willing to splurge on Coach for Victor. There was a crick in his neck and he had been stuck between two women who chatted to each other throughout the flight in fast and loud Japanese. Victor huffed as he exited the plane and made his way to customs. Thankfully everything was also in English, which was a language he was proficient in thanks to Yurio's badgering.

  
He still didn't know why he was in this country but his coach told him to look for a woman named Mari. He was still holding onto the theory that Yuri was sending him off for being such a horrible student, not that he blamed him.

  
Victor arrived to baggage claim just as Makkachin's crate arrived and with it brought the excited puppy who was also perplexed but excited by the prospect of seeing his human. Victor led his puppy from the crate and found a cart to haul his things with him. While he was a seasoned traveler, this was his first time traveling on his own. He couldn’t expect Yuri to lead him everywhere and tell him what to do.

  
Just as Victor thought he was getting lost, a woman waved over to him with a sign that spelled out his name. Victor sighed a breath of relief and walked towards her as Makkachin pulled on his lead to meet the stranger.

  
“Mari?” The name was Japanese he knew and he was trying very hard not to butcher the pronunciation.

  
“Victor Nikiforov, right?” The woman replied in perfect English, much to Victor’s relief.

  
“Oh thank God, you speak English.” He collapsed against his luggage.

  
“Well, yeah, kind of had to because of my brother.” She shrugged, grabbing the cart to push it.

  
“Who's your brother?” he frowned as he followed the woman, who now that he was paying attention, seemed to be around his age.

  
“That’s a secret.”

  
“Oh my God. Yurio sold me to the Yakuza. He really is burdened by how horrible of a skater I am.” Victor hung his head, pausing in the crowded walkway to wallow. Mari rolled her eyes and continued on towards the exit.

.

.

.

They walked through the town of Hasetsu at a fast but still considerably leisurely pace. Victor was busy snapping pictures and marveling at the town that his idol grew up in. Victor was a walking, talking Wikipedia article on the Japanese figure skater. He knew almost every fact about the man besides those things that were kept under wraps such as family. Every other detail, though, was engraved in Victor’s mind. Was that normal? Probably not but he wasn’t about to let anyone know that.

  
He wondered if he was going to run into Yuuri in this town. That would be quite the dream.

  
“We’re here.” Mari stopped and stood outside of a large building.

  
“Yu-Topia?”

  
“It’s an onsen. You know, a hot springs bath. We built a hotel around it. I’ll tell you more about it later if you want but there’s someone you got to meet.” Mari opened the door and began to shove his things inside of the lobby.

  
“This is nice and all but I want to know why my coach shipped me off to Japan.” Victor was still frowning as he tried to reason why this place looked familiar having never stepped foot in this building in his life before today.

  
“You’ll figure it out soon enough.” Mari chuckled, taking his bags and moving them somewhere else. He frowned wondering where his things were being taken.

  
Makkachin broke free some Victor’s grip and ran further into the building after having grown impatient from waiting. Victor’s breath hitched in surprise. His puppy never ran from him. His feet carried him after the puppy, ushering apologies to any guests that were in the puppy’s path. Makkachin seemed determined to find something and he wouldn’t stop until he did.

  
When Makkachin finally stopped, he stood in front of a bedroom door, paws leaning on the wood. Victor stood in front of the confused and winded from running through what seemed like the entire resort.

  
The door swung open and Makkachin jumped onto the unsuspecting person. The person fell backwards into the room with a loud thud and a hearty laugh.

  
Victor moved to help them but stopped in his tracks when he realized just who Makkachin knocked over and was now slobbering over. His body went rigid at the realization of what was happening.

  
The man stood and picked the puppy up in his arms, his glasses were askew on his face and half of his hair was plastered to his face.

  
“This isn’t how I planned on meeting you.” The man chuckled, scratching Makkachin’s head.

  
“You-you’re-”

  
“This is a really cute puppy you have here. Yurio didn’t mention you had a dog, not that I mind anyways.”

  
“Yuuri Katsuki. I’m standing in front of Yuuri Katsuki.” Victor’s eyes were wide as he tried to stop his vision from swimming.

  
Yuuri smiled and held a hand out to the young man who looked like he was on the verge of either fainting or combusting. “Starting today, I’m your new coach, Victor.”


	2. Why is Yuuri Katsuki coaching me?! Oh no, don’t let me do or say anything stupid!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments everyone! I adore this fanfic to pieces and I am so glad that there are people who are willing to see where I take this idea!

Some time had passed between Victor standing in front of Yuuri and talking to him (more like staring at him with his mouth agape) because when he realized it, he was sitting in the main room of the resort, a steaming bowl of food placed in front of him. There was a blank gap in his memory of how he moved frozen from his place standing in front of his idol and being seated at a low table.

He blinked and stared down at the dish and at the man seated across from him who was eating his own bowl of food without a car in the world. Victor was still trying to process his new reality as well as how to eat the dish in front of him with chopsticks. Was Yuuri a guest as this onsen? Did he _own_ this onsen? How many onsens did Yuuri own? Was he an onsen mogul? There were so many questions rattling in his brain that he didn’t notice Yuuri waving a hand in front of his face.

“Victor? You alright? I forgot to ask if you even like katsudon but I figured you would be tired from your flight. I know food always makes me feel better but maybe that isn’t what you like. I could go and make you something else if you’d like...” Yuuri was babbling and rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke, a soft blush bloomed on his face and neck.

“No. This is fine. What’s katsidun?” Victor asked, picking up the chopsticks clumsily in his hand. He winced at how awkwardly he was holding the utensil. He groaned inwardly at the fact that he was already embarrassing himself in front of his crush. He would have to watch YouTube videos later to perfect eating with the thin sticks.

“ _Katsudon._ It’s deep fried breaded pork served with egg and rice. It’s a favorite of mine. I always eat one after I win a competition.” Yuuri smiled as he took another bite. 

Victor took a bite and grinned at the taste. There was a warm feeling blooming in his chest as he ate more of the dish. It was homey, comforting, and all around wonderful. It was nothing like he tasted before in his life. How hadn’t he had this dish before?

“It’s delicious, isn’t it?” The Japanese man smiled, setting his empty bowl on the table. “My mother makes it for the guests here. Hers is probably the best there is. She doesn’t believe me though.”

“Your mom made this?” He asked around a small bite of food.

“She did. She taught me a while ago but it’s not the same. She has the magic touch.” Yuuri set his chopsticks down and wrung his hands for a moment before fiddling with his phone.

Victor was still in awe of the man in front of him. He looked nothing like his confident self that the rest of the world saw. He was much different off the ice than he was on the ice. His hair fell into his face in thick strands and perched on his face were a pair of blue eyeglasses. The man did not look like a figure skating legend or a medalist. He looked so normal and ordinary. It was only because of how enamored Victor was by Yuuri that he was able to tell who he was otherwise he wouldn’t believe anyone if they said this man was a five time gold medalist.

Victor thought that Yuuri Katsuki couldn’t possibly be cuter and more angelic and yet here he sat in worn workout clothes, hair messy, and a few grains of rice stuck to his face and Victor still thought he was the most beautiful person in the world.

“You’re probably wondering what you’re doing here.” Yuuri looked at him straight on, brown eyes boring into him.

“Well, yeah. It would be nice to know.” Victor said the words slowly, trying to keep the man’s gaze.

“Yurio thought that I would be better suited to coach you. He saw that you were having _issues_ with skating and he wanted to see if-”

Victor frowned, eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at the table. “So I was a burden to him...”

“That’s not true, Vict-”

“But it is! He gave me up because I’m such a failure!” Victor shouted, the rice bowl falling from his hands onto the floor. Neither one of them said anything as they watched the dish and the contents of the food spill. Yuuri quietly came over and began to clean the mess before Victor’s hand shot out and grabbed the other man’s wrist. Victor trembled, his breathing hitching as he tried to calm himself down. “Don’t. I made the mess. Let me clean it up.”

Yuuri watched as the Russian began to pick up the food and soak up the stains with the napkins. He could have sworn he saw a flash of fear on his face but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. He helped the younger skater pick up the food and clean the area nonetheless.

“I’m not going to yell at you, you know?.” Yuuri said quietly once they finished picking up the mess.

Victor looked at him with a confused expression before it shifted to a smile. “Why would I think that?” His smile didn’t reach his eyes as they began to water slightly.

“Victor-”

“I’m going to go outside and walk for a bit.” The younger man said suddenly, standing up and leaving the room quickly. Makkachin, who had been napping in the corner, lifted his head in question but decided to not follow his master.

Victor went outside and ran, he ran fast and blindly. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Stamina wasn’t his strength but he was fast when it counted. He didn’t remember to put on his shoes but it wouldn’t matter. He couldn’t feel anything anyways, not with the loud thudding in his chest. He didn’t care where he would end up as long as it was as far away from his idol who most likely was upset with him. He couldn’t handle that rejection, not at the moment, not with how fragile he felt. He arrived at a beach and sat in the sand, bringing his knees to his chest.

_He’s pissed off. He is so pissed off. I ruined his mother’s dish and possibly made a huge mess. No wonder Yurio wanted to get rid of me so quickly. I’m such a failure and a screw up. No wonder no one wants me around._

He stared out at the waves and followed the retreating tides with his eyes as his body shook from the fear and uncertainty of what would happen. There were brief flashes of long forgotten memories that began to play on the inside of his eyelids. He could hear the yelling and he could feel the harsh slap of leather on his body.

“Victor?”

Victor whipped his head around to look at the source of the voice, his breath hitched when he realized who was there. A smile placed itself on his face, he hoped that his shaking body wasn’t noticeable. “I found the beach, It’s pretty here. The seagulls remind me of St. Petersburg.”

Yuuri stared at him for a moment before lowering himself to the ground to kneel in front of the younger man. His gaze was soft but still quizzical as he tried to piece together the situation at hand. “Victor, what was that?”

His smile faltered but did not disappear. “I got too hot in there. I needed some air.”

“I’m not mad at you.” Yuuri said the words softly, tentatively as if trying to comfort a hurt animal. “It was an acci-”

“I know that.” The words came out of his mouth far too quickly.

Yuuri narrowed his eyes, searching Victor’s face. “I’ll believe that for now.”

“It’s the truth.” He beamed at the man, hoping he would drop the subject. “Mind explaining why Yurio shipped me off to Japan?”

Yuuri settled more comfortably onto the sand, leaning back on his hands. “Yurio noticed that you weren’t responding well to his coaching method. I’ve known the man for at least the last decade or so. He’s abrasive and rash but he means well. Frankly, he’s an asshole but he cares in his own way. If we’re being honest he was at his wit’s end. He wanted to see if I was a better fit for you.”

“He wanted to get rid of me. It was making him look bad by being one of his students that hadn’t won any gold medals.” Victor huffed, glowering at the sand.

“No, he knows you have the potential and he realizes that his school of thought wasn’t working anymore. This isn’t him ditching you. This is him _helping_ you.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Victor pulled his knees tighter to his chest.

“Think about it like this. You are training under someone who has had as many if not probably more gold medals than your previous coach.” There was a teasing tone in his voice as he spoke. 

“You have more gold medals than Yurio?” Victor looked at Yuuri, his glass colored eyes trained on the other man.

“Technically. But that’s because there are competitions he is not allowed to compete in because of where he lives and who he represents.”

Victor chuckled softly. “That must make him really angry.”

“It does. Teasing him about it is fun.” Yuuri smiled before his voice softened. “What really happened back there, Victor?”

Victor tensed slightly, enough that his shoulders came up to his ears. “Nothing. I was flustered.”

Yuuri pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “I assume you know a lot about me.”

“You could say that..” Victor trailed off, looking to the waves.

“Then you know that I have a masters in Psychology.” Yuuri cocked an eyebrow, his voice level.

“Yeah, and?” Victor gulped and kept his gaze on the waves.

“Then you know that I firmly believe that you are not telling me something very important. Your body language and your words are signaling that you are closing yourself off to me because you do not trust me but you seek my approval anyways.” Yuuri popped his shoulders as Victor tensed. “Am I heading in the right direction?”

“I am not closed off.”

“Alright, then tell me about yourself.”

Victor blinked and brought his gaze back to the other man. “Like what?”

“Just tell me something about yourself.”

“I like to skate.”

Yuuri snorted, rolling his eyes playfully. “Something I don’t already know.”

Victor worried his lip for a moment. “I…” The words trailed off silently with the crashing of the waves. What did he like to do besides skating and competing? He supposed there was dancing but dancing and skating were so intimately tied together. “I guess I like shopping.”

“For yourself or for others?”

“Am I selfish if I say for myself?” Victor offered a small smile, hair starting to come loose from it’s braid.

“Not at all considering… you know...” Yuuri gestured vaguely to Victor.

“That I’m an orphan. It’s public knowledge at this point.”

“You still carry the scars though.” Victor winced at the comment, fingers itching to touch his left eye. Yuuri’s eyes caught the movement with mild worry. “Emotionally and physically.”

“They healed over.”

“Not all scars heal with time, Victor. If you are going to be my student and I your coach then we need to establish trust and mutual understanding.” Yuuri began to stand slowly, shaking sand from his clothing.

“What do you mean?” Victor asked, standing and shaking the sand from his feet.

“You need to trust me enough to help you. I can’t have you running out on me when you freak out.”

“I guess that’s fair...” The Russian watched Yuuri carefully. “Promise me something then.”

“What is it?” Yuuri removed his glasses and began to clean the lenses.

“Promise me that you’ll help me win a gold medal and prove to everyone that I do deserve it.” Victor proclaimed the words loudly and with such vigor that he blushed at the intensity.

Yuuri simply smiled and offered him his hand. “You have yourself a deal then.”

.

.

.

“This will be your room. Mine is down the hall if you need anything. Sorry if it’s a little small but I think all of your things will fit in here.” Yuuri pulled the door open and ushered Makkachin inside.

“I don’t have to pay you coaching fees, do I?” Victor asked, not sure how much he would need to pay for room and board and if he could even pay for it. 

“Don’t worry about that for now.” He waved the younger man off, pulling in the large suitcase. Victor scrambled and began to pull the suitcase in.

“Please don’t. You shouldn’t have to drag my stuff in here.” Victor blushed as he tried to pry the luggage from the other man.

“It’s no issue. I do this for most of the guests.” Yuuri finished dragging it in and setting it at the foot of the bed.

“You… work here?” Victor furrowed his brow as he tried to work through that thought.

“Well, yeah. My family owns this place and since I’m retired I help them with the guests. I used to help out full time before I started skating professionally.” He shrugged.

“But.... How…. How did no one notice you?”

“The townspeople here are great at keeping me hidden from the world. With my normal hairstyle and my glasses, I look very average.”

“So, you pull a Clark Kent?” Victor was still dumbfounded that that worked.

“Essentially.” Yuuri laughed and gave Makkachin a head scratch. The puppy barked and sought out more affection to where the older skater happily obliged. “I suggest you turn in soon. We have an early morning tomorrow.”

“R-right.” Victor nodded and stood still in the room. “I’m meeting you in the lobby, right?”

Yuuri nodded before crossing the room to where Victor stood. “You don’t need to be nervous. The place we are going to can be private and quiet. We don’t have to deal with crowds or overly enthusiastic fans.” Yuuri placed a gentle hand on Victor’s shoulder.

Victor tensed for a moment but soon relaxed when he realized that it was a soothing touch. “Crowds don’t bother me.” 

“Go to know for the future.” Yuuri beamed and squeezed his shoulder before walking past him. “Have a good night, Victor.”

“Goodnight, Yuuri.” His name was still funny to say so casually. He was still tempted to call him but either his last name or add ‘Coach’ before uttering his name but it still felt too weird.

Yuuri silently left the room, shutting the door softly behind him. Victor waited until he was sure that the other man was far enough away before collapsing to the floor on his knees.

“Makkachin, can you believe it? Can you _really_ believe it? Yuuri Katsuki is going to coach me, me!” Victor was smiling and laughing, his voice was breaking as he tried to breathe. The puppy tilted his head as his human began to grow hysterical. Victor ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to still the pounding of his heart. 

It was unlike anything that Victor imagined for himself when Yuri had appeared at his apartment and ushered him to the airport. This was the last thing he had been expecting when he sat miserable in economy class in the airplane. Maybe Yuuri was right that his previous coach wanted what was only best for him.

“Makkachin, do you think I could win a gold medal?” Victor asked his puppy. Makkachin barked and licked along Victor’s cheek. The man laughed and hugged the puppy to his chest. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

.

.

.

“Ice Castle?” Victor asked as they walked up to the arena after having run from the onsen.

“This is my home rink. I started my skating career within these walls.” Yuuri walked up the stairs and held the door open for Victor.

“I know that but why didn’t you relocate to Tokyo or any other big city?” He asked, entering the lobby and looking around curiously.

“Tokyo is loud and busy. While I do love other parts of Japan, Hasetsu has always been home for me.” He shrugged, walking up the counter and ringing a bell.

At the sound of the bell, three children appeared and began talking in fast and animated Japanese with Yuuri. While Victor had no idea what they were saying it was along the lines of figure skating because he could understand some of the words. He had no idea who the children were but they seemed to be close to Yuuri considering how casual they were.

“Right. Manners. Girls, Victor doesn’t speak Japanese.” Yuuri blushed and turned towards his student. “He’s going to be training under me.”

“Yeah, we know.”

“It’s all over the news.”

“You’re Victor Nikiforov, right? Why haven’t you won a gold medal yet?”

The girls all talked over each other and Victor was having difficulty separating out their questions.

“Wait, news?” Victor asked but his question was drowned out by another and much louder voice.

“GIRLS.” A woman came out of the back room and immediately stalked over to the counter. “What did I say about harassing new people?”

“To not.”

“That it isn’t nice.”

“That we scare people with our enthusiasm.”

The girls deadpanned their answers at the same time. Yuuri tried to stifle the laugh but the woman did not look amused. She turned and looked at the pair of skaters.

“My name is Yuuko Nishigori. I am one of the managers here and these demons here are Axel, Lutz, and Loop; my daughters.” She smiled and gestured to the girls who were now engrossed in their cellphones.

“Nice to meet everyone.” Victor smiled.

“We’re here to use the rink. It’s free at the moment, right?” Yuuri asked, taking his pack off of his back.

Yuuko nodded and pointed to the doors leading to the locker room. “The rink is going to be free all morning so take your time.”

“Thanks Yuuko.” Yuuri smiled and began to lead Victor to the locker room with him. Victor smiled at the posters and cases of awards that Yuuri had won over the years. It seemed as if the rink was proud to be the home of one of the most prolific skaters in the world. 

“Friend of yours?” Victor asked as unpacked his items and began tying on his skates.

“Childhood actually. She got me into figure skating.” Yuuri laced his own skates and packed away his glasses.

“Really? I thought that you just grew up with it.”

Yuuri finished lacing his skates and slid on the guards. “My family wasn’t into figure skating. I got into it because of Yuuko but Minako is who really fostered it. I started in ballet then she suggested that I try figure skating.”

“You did ballet.” Victor blinked before realizing that he was in the middle of lacing one skate.

“That’s common knowledge.” 

“I know, it’s just different reading it as opposed to listening to _you_ saying it.”

“Were you taught ballet?” He asked as he began to stretch.

“All of us were, as well as other forms.” Victor adored ballet the most though and perhaps that was because it was Yuuri’s preferred style.

Yuuri watched Victor for a moment before smiling and rolling his shoulders. “I’ll keep that in mind. Meet me out on the ice once you’re ready.”

Victor nodded and watched his idol retreat. Silently he finished tying his laces before slipping on his guards and walking over to the rink. The sight before him was enough to halt his movements as he watched the other skater fly around the rink. Victor quietly made his way to the barrier and leaned against the wall as his eyes trailed Yuuri.

Yuuri was beautiful. He was lively. He was enthralling and captivating. Everyone was impressed by the way that Yuuri could make music with his body. He had the unique ability of being able to tell a story with the way he moved. Other skaters tried and failed to recreate what Yuuri did effortlessly. The man held the attention of anyone in the vicinity and Victor fell prey to him each time.

Yuuri launched himself into a quadruple flip; his signature move. The skating world recognized it as his jump since he was one of the only ones who could land it in competition. Since then multiple skaters tried to land it but none could land it as gracefully as Yuuri Katsuki.

Yuuri caught sight of Victor and skated over to where he stood. “Ready to come onto the ice? I need to assess what you can do.”

Victor nodded and pulled off his guards as he slid onto the ice. He began to skate slowly as he tried to get used to the new environment.

“What jumps can you land in competition?” Yuuri asked, skating alongside him.

“I can land all triples and I can land a quad toe loop in practice, not so much in competition. ” Victor grimaced.

“Well, jumps aren’t always the most important things. Let’s take what you do well and improve on them and then we can work on more quads. Now for step sequences, I notice that you rush them.”

“I get too enthusiastic and then forget my footing is what Yurio would say.”

Yuuri chuckled. “We should focus on memorizing step sequences slowly and then gradually speed them up.” Yuuri moved away to skate a few small steps away from Victor.

“I think that would help. I usually get anxious to start on other parts of my programs.”

“You have the strength and speed to launch yourself but you lack stamina. Your jumps aren’t terrible but you seem to second guess yourself as you exit the jump which is why you flub them.”

Victor sighed, skating in a small circle. “Yeah, I know.”

“What’s your favorite part about skating, Victor?”

He had to think about that question for a moment. What did he love about skating? What did he always look forward to? Why did Victor walk into the ice rink that one day long ago? “I think I like flying through the air as I jump and as I spin by...”

“You like jumps?” He asks, skating next to his student again.

“I do. I want to get better at them. I know that they aren’t my strong suit but... I like feeling weightless. It’s… free.” Victor said as he skated away and launched himself into a triple axel.

For a moment the world stood still as Victor danced in the air before landing on the ice. It didn’t matter that his landing was shaky, it still made him grin and his heart pound in excitement. Yuuri watched from the sidelines, his gaze unwavering as he watched Victor.

“Let’s make you fly then.” he whispered, a smile pulling at his lips.


	3. Quick question: how does one not spontaneously combust when their crush smiles at them?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI. HELLO. January and the first part of February kicked my ass. Here's a new chapter though. I promise I am not abandoning this fic. I love it too much to do that.

Victor paced around his room that night, feet light so as to not disturb the other inhabitants. He had only been in Hasetsu for a day and a half now but something about the small town made him feel nostalgic in a way that he hadn’t experienced ever before. He didn’t know if it was because of how nice everyone was or how the beach reminded him of St. Petersburg. Either way, he wasn’t sure how he had managed to go this long in life without experiencing it. Ocean colored eyes slid over to the clock on the nightstand. Japan was roughly several hours ahead of Russia, meaning…

  
Victor pulled out his phone and dialed one of the few contacts he had saved in his phone. The device seemed to ring for ages before the screen lit up.  
“Victor?” The usual scowl of Yuri Plisetsky filled the small rectangle.

  
“WHATTHEFUCKWHYDIDYOUSHIPMEHEREWHATAREYOUPLAYINGATDIDYOUEVENASKYUURIWHATHETHOUGHTABOUTALLOFTHISICAN’TBELIE-” Victor clutched the phone as the words fell from his lips in a fast tumble.

  
“Brat. Shut up for two minutes. If you keep going you’ll run out of air and deflate.” Yuri sighed, adjusting the phone where he was sitting, presumably his office. The sun was beginning to set in the window off to his side, basking the office in a soft golden glow. Knowing Yuri, he was probably there after hours and still closing out the building like the workaholic he was.

  
“Did Yuuri know that you were going to do this?” Victor frowned as he sat on his bed, Makkachin huffed and flopped down next to his human, already tired of his drama. His fingers found their way into his companion’s fur as he held onto the phone in his other hand.

  
“You could say that.” Yuri shrugged, tone clipped as he picked at loose papers with feigned interest. Victor knew that when he used that tone that there was something more to what he was saying but was refusing to elaborate.

  
“That doesn’t explain anything!” Victor growned, flopping back onto the bed. “I don’t know what I should be doing here!”

  
“You are there to learn from someone more in tune with what you need.” The words were simple but the meaning behind them were far from that. Victor looked at the screen and saw that Yuri was busy doing paperwork, his attention elsewhere but the call.

  
“What does that even mean?” He sat up and nibbled on his bottom lip. “I don’t even know what I need! This is ridiculous. No way is me training with Yuuri going to help me… I feel so starstruck when I’m with him. How can someone so amazing possibly help a wreck like me...”

  
Yuri sat at his desk and stared at a poster of one that held both him and Yuuri, it was a promotional poster from the 2010 Olympics where Yuuri had won gold and himself silver. That had been Yuuri’s first Olympic gold medal and it was always his most memorable even after he had also won the 2014 Olympic gold medal. That had been the only Olympics that had competed in together but it was the most eventful for both of them. Coming out of that competition, the two had forged a close bond. It was that event that sparked their friendly rivalry and long lasting friendship.

  
“You two are very alike. More than you think.”

  
Victor lifted his head from where it hung, hair falling into his face as he stared at the face of his past coach who was still staring at something off screen. “How?”

  
“Yuuri wasn’t always a Living Legend you know.”

  
“I know that his early years were… rough before he went to Detroit but-”

  
“No, I mean before that… Things weren’t always sunshine for him. Look, just talk to him. Might give you more insight.” The blond haired man stretched his back and glanced at his watch before looking back to the call. Yuri raised an eyebrow at Victor. “Isn’t it late over there?”

  
“Maybe...” Victor scratched at his cheek, looking at the black tea that sat on his night stand. Mama Katsuki had taken it upon herself to make sure that Victor had all the tea he wanted while he was there when he mentioned that he wanted to try a cup of Japanese tea on a whim. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he was more of a coffee drinker. Only a few people knew about Victor’s caffeine addiction. There was an empty energy drink hidden somewhere in the room from when Victor had sneaked it after their practice, not sure how Yuuri would react to it.

  
“Can’t sleep?” 

  
Victor shook his head and picked at the case of his phone. Yuri knew the answer to that question much better than anyone except for Yakov. Yuri had tried to help Victor with his problem but there were too many fragile layers to peel.

  
“Go bother Yuuri then.” 

  
“I don’t want to disturb him though… It’s late… He might be sleeping...” Victor could feel his eyes getting heavy but he willed himself to fight it.  
“The man is simultaneously a night owl and an early bird. You will not be bothering him, I promise you. If anything he’ll appreciate the company.”  
Victor stared at his door before sighing and scratching his chin. “I’ll knock.”

  
“Good. Now let me be, Beka is making dinner tonight and I don’t want to miss it.” Yuri was gathering his things to leave for the day, preparing to bundle up for the cold weather.

  
“You and your husband are disgustingly cute.” Victor pouted, he definitely missed the other man’s cooking. “Is there any way I could convince Otabek to send me his molasses cookies?”

  
“Goodbye, brat. Call me if you need anything else. Whining does not count.”

  
“Yeah, alright, bye.” Yuri disconnected the call and for a few moments, Victor stared at the blank screen, his own expression was starting to send chills down his spine.

  
Before he could chicken out, he stood and made his way down the hall to Yuuri’s room. He stopped in front of the door when he noticed two things: the light was on and there was a lot of noise coming from the room. Victor looked around and noticed that he and Yuuri were the only ones on this side of the resort. How hadn’t he noticed before? Had it been planned that way?

  
Timid knuckles rapped on the door, soft enough that Victor wasn’t sure it could be heard over the noise in the room. Just as he was about to turn and go back to his room, the door swung open.

  
“Victor? What is it? Is my game too loud? I can turn it down. I thought you were asleep already. I’m not used to having someone else’s room this close to mine...” Yuuri continued to ramble, face growing red under his blue glasses.

  
Victor’s words caught in his throat as he stared at the other man who was wearing a hoodie that seemed too large for his body and flannel pajama bottoms that had clearly seen better days. Half of Yuuri’s hair was matted to his head and his feet were bare. The whole image was very jarring for Victor.

  
“I think I’ll go back to my room.” Victor said suddenly during his tirade, his confidence starting to wane.

  
“What?” Yuuri frowned. “You knocked on my door, you need something. What is it?”

  
Victor rubbed at his arm, hair falling from it’s ponytail. “It’s dumb. I should let you get back to what you were doing.”

  
“Doubt it. You came here for a reason, come in and talk.” Yuuri stood to the side, allowing enough space for Victor to enter.

  
“I don’t want to impo-.” Victor bit at his bottom lip but before he could really protest, Makkachin ran into the room and jumped onto the bed without a care in the world.

  
“You are not imposing. I’m just playing video games. You can come in and watch or play with me.” Yuuri shrugged, a small smile on his face as he waited for Victor to decide.

  
“Not that great with video games...” Victor stepped inside the room and tried not to freak out over everything in view. Was Yuuri really this much of a nerd? Every visible surface was covered in anime posters and merch lined shelves and any other available spaces in the room. Where were his medals and awards?  
“Then I’ll teach you, if you want. It’s how I unwind at the end of the day.” He settled back into the cocoon in his bed, Makkachin shifted and sprawled across the man’s lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  
Victor stood in the doorway, clearly awkward and out of place. He wasn’t sure where to sit, whether at the desk chair or next to Yuuri on his bed. The desk chair was in an odd area of the room, away from the TV and the bed was… well… a very intimate area. Blood started to rush to his face as his mind went on an inappropriate tangent. 

  
Reel it in, Victor. You are not a hormonal teenager anymore.

  
“What game is it?” He asked, moving closer to Yuuri but not moving to sit anywhere yet, still debating his choices.

  
“It’s a game where my main quest is to stop an evil entity that has been asleep for years but I like to run around and collect things and generally ignore the main quest.” Yuuri grinned and gestured to the screen where his character was truly running through a forest without a care in the world.

  
“Mind if I just watch for now?” he asked, creeping closer to where Yuuri was nestled.

  
“Sure, I’m just goofing off right now.” Yuuri focused back on the screen, burrowing deeper into the blankets, the console in his hands that poked out from the blankets.

  
Victor chuckled softly as he watched Yuuri become one with the covers. He shifted his attention to the screen where the blond haired protagonist was climbing rocks and grabbing various items. Yuuri was indeed doing anything but what seemed to be the quest even if he was being given prompts for it. Victor started to imagine himself in the fantasy world, being able to run and have adventures or go and collect mushrooms. 

  
“Do you want me to move over? I just realized that you’ve been standing this entire time.” Yuuri’s voice brought Victor out of his haze.  
“You look so comfortable. I’d hate to ruin that.”

  
“Nonsense.” Yuuri shifted and wiggled until there was space for Victor to nestle on the bed with him. His brain was starting to go down the other tangent once more. “The desk chair is not comfortable, plus Makkachin is here.”

  
That was a hard point to refute. Victor climbed into the bed next to Yuuri, trying his hardest to still the hammering in his heart when he realized that he was seated almost on top of the other man. The other man in question wasn’t too concerned with the lack of space as he engaged in battle with enemies.

  
Makkachin shifted to lay across both of the men, effectively trapping Victor in the bed with his idol. Victor pulled the blanket tighter around himself and got comfortable on the small bed as Yuuri raced through a field on a horse as enemies chased him. Victor asked questions to which Yuuri answered without missing a beat, not once making Victor feel stupid when he didn’t understand something. Victor still didn’t really understand the game but he was starting to see the appeal. Soon the sounds of the video game began to lull Victor into a stupor. Soon he was leaning against Yuuri who had finally made his way back to the main quest after a lot of silly business.

  
After a long while of the peaceful sounds and Yuuri’s breathing and soft mumblings, Victor began to doze off on the soft but old mattress.

.

.

.

When Victor woke, he was horizontal and effectively tucked into the covers. Makkachin laid across his human, still deep asleep. Bleary eyes floated around the room, a soft yawn curling from his tongue as he shifted in the bed. His gaze landed on a poster.

  
Victor didn’t have posters in his room.

  
Panic and dread began to set in as his eyes darted around the room.

  
Victor was still in Yuuri’s room.

  
The realization made the silver haired man yelp and elbow the figure next to him. The other man groaned and patted the space next to him. Victor froze as Yuuri’s hand came in contact with his face.

  
A soft mumbling came from the blanket once the hand touched his face with a soft almost affectionate pat on the cheek. “ _Nete atode okimasu..._ ”

  
“I.. I didn’t hear you..” Victor whispered, still frozen in place.

  
“Sorry.. What time is it?” Yuuri answered in English this time, words soft and warm, nearly tickling Victor’s face.

  
“Early. I think.” Victor gulped, and tried to put space between him and the warm body but Makkachin was a heavy weight. Therefore, the Russian was stuck in bed with his very sleepy idol.

  
“Sleep then..” Yuuri yawned and settled back into the covers, completely unaware of the situation they were in.

  
“ _Я умер и попал в рай?_ ” Victor mused to himself as he heard soft snores come from his side. There was no way this wasn’t some dream. This had to be an elaborate prank. Yuri was royally fucking with him, he had to be.

  
Shifting on his side without disturbing his bed partners was a feat but Victor managed it. The window was cracked open so that the April breeze could come through making the room colder but comfortable. The sun hadn’t risen yet but it had begun it’s slow and lazy ascent in the sky. Victor’s eyes swept over Yuuri’s sleeping face. The man was completely at peace, hair in his face, fingers holding onto the covers near his head.

  
A certain swell of fondness thumped in Victor’s chest as he stared at the man who was less than a hand touch away from him. The gods must have been cruel to allow Victor this close proximity to the man that he was sure was the reason for pursuing figure skating.

  
In the early rays of morning light Victor began to count the number of eyelashes on Yuuri’s cheeks and how thick and shiny his hair was and how nice it would feel to run his fingers through it.

  
It took another hour of Victor shamelessly watching the other man that he remembered the situation they were in. And when the realization came, so did the panic and existential dread.

  
Victor was in Yuuri Katsuki’s bed with said man sharing the space with him. And snoring adorably all the while.

  
Thankfully Makkachin slunk off the bed and yawned as he looked at Victor. The Russian left the bed carefully and quietly (as he could). Once he was safe, he nearly ran to his room and quickly sat on the floor as his brain began to process what had just happened. He held his very red face in his hands as he tried to quiet his breathing.

  
Victor had fallen asleep in Yuuri’s bed with him.

  
Yuuri hadn’t kicked him out.

  
Victor probably drooled and snored.

  
What if he had said something embarrassing at some point while asleep?

  
Victor probably crossed a line and Yuuri would send him back to Russia.

  
Makkachin barked and broke Victor from his freak out, a clearly impatient look on his face.

  
“You want to go out? I think we need to go out.” Victor nodded quickly and changed his clothing, not minding at all what he was wearing. Hooking Makkachin onto his lead, the two quickly left the inn without running into the other inhabitants.

  
He wasn’t sure he could face Mama Katsuki without becoming a blushing mess.

  
Victor ended up dragging them around Hasetsu -- as much as he could without getting lost. Makkachin had certainly made quite a few friends during their walk. Victor felt better the more he walked and the more air he got to his head. The townspeople were amiable enough that Victor almost considered stopping and visiting with some of them but his stomach began to betray him.

  
Upon arriving at the inn, Victor was met with the sight of Yuuri and his sister enjoying breakfast in the dining area.  
“Did you have a good walk?” Yuuri asked, a smile on his face, bright enough that Victor found himself leaning towards it’s radiance. Victor nodded and took the lead off of Makkachin before he tripped over the forgotten item.

  
“It was.. The people here are nice.” Victor watched as Makkachin bounded towards Yuuri and promptly licked his face in greeting.  
“I’m glad you like it here.” He laughed, giving the dog his attention. Victor stayed in the entrance, slowly taking off his shoes before sitting at the table with him, hands folded in his lap.

  
Mari watched them with a bored expression. “ _Anata wa kare ni nani o shimashita ka? Kare wa kowai yōdesu?_ ”

  
Yuuri almost glared at the other Katsuki. “ _Watashitachiha nemuri ni ochimashita. Nani mo okoranakatta. Mō yamero._ ”

  
Mari scoffed and stood, dusting herself off. “ _Tashika ni, daijōbu._ ” She turned to Victor and gave him a wink before walking out of the room with her dishes.

“What was-”

“Nothing. Anyways, I think we should go and work on your short program today.” Yuuri quickly interjected, his face pink.

  
“Right. Okay.” Victor raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. The elephant was still in the room and as much as he wanted to address it, he was not willing to start the conversation.

  
The only sounds between the two were Mama Katsuki in the kitchen and the TV that softly played in the background. Victor focused his eyes on a particular pattern in the grain of the wood of the table.

  
“So.. About last night.”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“Did I make you uncomfortable? I didn’t mean to pass out. Sometimes I just kind of fall asleep and not really pay attention to where I am.” Yuuri rubbed at the back of his neck as the other hand scratched Makkachin’s ears.

  
“No! Not really. I mean, I didn’t sleep well the past night and I guess I got tired too..” Victor laughed nervously, looking towards the kitchen where Mama Katsuki was busy cooking up breakfast.

  
Yuuri looked at Victor with an unreadable gaze. “Do you normally have issues sleeping?”

  
The question wasn’t accusatory or invasive but something about it made Victor feel small, like he was a child being scolded after stealing a cookie from the jar. “Sometimes… It’s not a big deal. Really. Last night was probably the best sleep I had in awhile.”

  
“I’m glad to hear that. Maybe we should look into helping you rest better at night, it could help with your performance and stamina while skating.” Yuuri mused.

  
Mama Katsuki broke up the awkwardness with their breakfast of miso, mackerel, and tea. Victor couldn’t help but feel warm and cozy as he watched Yuuri interact with his mother. Yuuri clearly loved his mother and she was easily very proud and affectionate with her son. Even though Victor had only known Mama Katsuki for two days, the woman had stolen his heart and she had quickly begun to dote on him.

  
Her motherly love and calming aura made his heart sting a little when he remembered another face with soft blue eyes but he quickly pushed the memory down and dug into the delicious homemade meal in front of him.

.

.

.

  
“Let’s go through music today. Yuri told me that he would normally pick your music. Why is that?” Yuuri asked Victor as they stretched in the locker room.

  
Victor grabbed his toes and frowned. “Well, I don’t know what would be a winning song.”

  
“Does a song need to be a ‘winning song’ to win?”

  
“What do you mean?”

  
“I mean, don’t you just choose music that makes you feel something?” Yuuri began to stretch his arms.

  
“What am I supposed to feel?” Victor bit at his bottom lip. He struggled with showing too much on the ice. It made him self-conscious and vulnerable. Things that Victor hated to feel.

  
“Anything. That’s the point. We’re going to listen to music and you are going to pick songs that make you feel something and then we go from there.” Yuuri began to lace his skates.

  
“That… seems like a lot.” Victor pouted, lacing his own skates in the process.

  
“It won’t. I used to just lay around and pick music on a whim.”

  
“I find that very hard to believe.”

  
“It’s true, Phichit and I used to sit around our dorm room and pick music off of Youtube when we first started.”

  
Victor stopped in his tracks, a look of wonder on his face as if he had discovered a long lost secret. “You’re telling me that gold and silver medalists picked their music off of Youtube and didn’t have their music composed for them?”

  
“Pretty much. I commissioned a few pieces but most of it was music I liked from my childhood or something I heard while surfing the internet. Obviously, the music was adapted to fit but otherwise it was whatever music spoke to us.”

  
Victor leaned his head on the wall, a dramatic sigh. “Everything I know is a lie.”

  
“Not everything, Victor.” Yuuri clapped him on the back as they walked to the rink. He went off and fiddled with the stereo system as Victor stepped onto the ice and began his warm-ups.

  
“Yuuri Katsuki takes his music from Youtube. Next he’s going to tell me he finds his costumes at second hand stores...” Victor grumbled as he skated, he was still in disbelief. He need to call Yuri and grill him about his revelation.

  
“I’m going to play some music now. If you like a song, do a single axel for me. If you don’t like it, do a single loop for me.” Yuuri called from the barrier.

  
Victor nodded and closed his eyes as he listened to the soft notes in the air. Yuuri had shuffled through probably dozens of songs before Victor launched himself into a single axel. The song he had chosen had a soft piano melody but the notes seemed to resonate with something deep inside of Victor.

  
“Really? This song? It’s the instrumental version too.” Yuuri hummed as Victor skated over to him.

  
“What’s it called?” Victor asked, the song was still playing and all the while he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

  
“Good Riddance.” Yuuri hummed and scribbled something down in his notebook.

  
“You said it’s a cover?”

  
“It is. I like this version more. Sometimes the words distract from the programs. You can listen to the original though, which might give you a little more insight.”  
“What’s the song about?” Victor leaned on the barrier as he fixed his hair that was starting to fall out of its confines.

  
“It’s about accepting that people leave you and sometimes you just have to let them go even if the feeling is bittersweet. People have their reasons for doing terrible things and sometimes we have to accept it and move on.” Yuuri rattled off, his gaze on Victor.

  
“I… I want this song for my short program.”

  
“That can work.” Yuuri smiled warmly. Victor found himself returning the smile and leaning into Yuuri as if he was falling into his gravity. Yuuri stepped onto the ice with Victor and skated a few warm up laps himself.

  
Victor stayed by the barrier and watched the other man dance around the ice. It was still hard to believe that Victor had been given the opportunity to work with this man. It was hard to tell if the pounding of his heart was because of how the song had made him feel or because of the way that Yuuri saw Victor like he was the only person in the world.

  
“Come out here so we can work on your program. I have some ideas you’ll love.” Yuuri called over to Victor with a wave of his hand.

  
Victor didn’t need to be told twice as he found himself already gravitating towards Yuuri like a moth to flame. Warm and beautiful and potentially dangerous but Victor was willing to burn but he trusted Yuuri to not hurt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (From Google Translate so they may suck):  
> Nete atode okimasu... -- Sleep now, wake later  
> Я умер и попал в рай? -- Did I die and go to Heaven?  
> Anata wa kare ni nani o shimashita ka? Kare wa kowai yōdesu. -- What did you do to him? He looks scared.  
> Watashitachiha nemuri ni ochimashita. Nani mo okoranakatta. Mō yamero. -- We fell asleep. Nothing happened. Drop it.  
> Tashika ni, daijōbu -- Yeah, okay.
> 
> Tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think and follow me on Tumblr at confused-novelist!


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